or how a DRE (google it) ruined my day.
About 9 years ago my dad found out he had an enlarged prostate and after the PSA( a simple blood test screen for Prostrate cancer) tests and a biopsy, and it showed cancer (I don't know anymore of the specifics, but if you have the nerve you can ask dad yourself). After the surgery to remove the cancer and recovery, he’s fine now, they got it all and it hadn’t spread. Since Prostate Cancer is thought to be very hereditary it was suggested that I start getting tested at 50ish, well I know you just did the math and you’ll know I’m not yet 50, but the doctors here are Asian and they think we look older than we are (talk about racist :) ). I had had a bladder infection and they found blood in the urine so I was referred to a(n) Urologist, so anyway he asked if there was any cancer in my family and I of course said yes...
The second doctor (English chap) did pretty much the same things, but at least was nice enough to joke about the DRE (that’s the nice way of saying sticking a finger where it should never go, unless it involves 2 consenting adults and a tube of KY jelly...err never mind). The results were pretty much 180 degrees out from the first test. He didn’t think that my prostate felt enlarged, but to be safe, we did the PSA again, the second time for those counting. Well this one came out as expected, 4.5, does this suggest something to anyone but me?
I will get tested every 6 months and I'll keep doing it for a couple of years and I’m sure I won’t worry about it a lot, well at least not a lot before the test. I don’t think I’ll be allowing the doctor to do the DRE without at least the promise of a drink anymore, I do have my standards.
So the long and short of it is, I’m clean as a whistle and the whole experience made me make some major changes in my life, I quit smoking (OK, this has nothing to do with me quitting, I actually smoked a lot more for the 6 months after I had the first test) which as I mentioned before didn’t make me feel better despite what everyone says, I secretly think the people that say “you’ll feel much better after you quit smoking”, have never smoked! I have also started eating better, less red meat more veg....and all that’s done for me is make me more regular! Guess that could be the whole point!
Normally I wouldn't mention something this personal about my father but it's relevant and sets the scene for this post. Dad, if talking about this offends you please let me know and I'll remove all mention of you.
About 9 years ago my dad found out he had an enlarged prostate and after the PSA( a simple blood test screen for Prostrate cancer) tests and a biopsy, and it showed cancer (I don't know anymore of the specifics, but if you have the nerve you can ask dad yourself). After the surgery to remove the cancer and recovery, he’s fine now, they got it all and it hadn’t spread. Since Prostate Cancer is thought to be very hereditary it was suggested that I start getting tested at 50ish, well I know you just did the math and you’ll know I’m not yet 50, but the doctors here are Asian and they think we look older than we are (talk about racist :) ). I had had a bladder infection and they found blood in the urine so I was referred to a(n) Urologist, so anyway he asked if there was any cancer in my family and I of course said yes...
Well to make a long story short, before he kissed me, bought me a drink, or let alone dinner, he had his finger up my ass and was making these doctor sounds, that in other circumstances would have made my sphincter clamp shut in fear, remember where his finger was! So after that indignity, horror and humiliation, he took a blood sample and told me to come back in a week for the result. I’m not kidding when I say it happened almost that fast and with almost that much conversation, so I insisted he tell me what he thought and why he thought I needed to get the PSA! He went through the “Have you had trouble urinating, do the troops still stand at attention....etc” questions, to which I told him everything is fine, although I did feel like I should have a cigarette and wanted a cuddle. The doctor explained that he thought that my prostate was enlarged, in the back of my mind I was thinking, how the hell would he know, surely I would remember if he had done the finger thing before.
This led to the more blood tests (sorry getting a head of my self).
All joking aside, it scared the shit out of me, it was the longest week of my life and you know in the back of my mind I kept thinking, it’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about, I’m only 45, there’s no way I have it, I repeated it like a mantra, over and over. I never thought of myself as a worrier, hell I sometimes have wondered if I have a conscience (err I don’t think conscience is what I meant, sentience perhaps?).
So the week came and went, and I was sitting back in the doctors office, wondering if he missed me. The long and short of it was “your tests were inconclusive!”
This led to the more blood tests (sorry getting a head of my self).
All joking aside, it scared the shit out of me, it was the longest week of my life and you know in the back of my mind I kept thinking, it’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about, I’m only 45, there’s no way I have it, I repeated it like a mantra, over and over. I never thought of myself as a worrier, hell I sometimes have wondered if I have a conscience (err I don’t think conscience is what I meant, sentience perhaps?).
So the week came and went, and I was sitting back in the doctors office, wondering if he missed me. The long and short of it was “your tests were inconclusive!”
WTF!
He then went on to tell me that I should wait for 3 months and do the test again! I asked what the PSA score was (14.4) which is really high! The sharp kids in the class are screaming what’s inconclusive about that? His answer was, “I don’t think it’s possible to be that high without you having other symptoms like the troops not coming to attention or some pain or difficulty taking a piss".
I left looking for a different doctor, one that’s white! I know you’re thinking that was a racist thing to say, well not really, Asians very rarely get Prostate Cancer (PC), so I wanted someone who knew what it was. I spent more time researching PC which I feel was a healthy response, but at least I knew some facts and I was slightly relieved to find that if you are going to have any cancer, Prostate cancer is the one to have, most people die with this cancer and not from it.
I left looking for a different doctor, one that’s white! I know you’re thinking that was a racist thing to say, well not really, Asians very rarely get Prostate Cancer (PC), so I wanted someone who knew what it was. I spent more time researching PC which I feel was a healthy response, but at least I knew some facts and I was slightly relieved to find that if you are going to have any cancer, Prostate cancer is the one to have, most people die with this cancer and not from it.
The second doctor (English chap) did pretty much the same things, but at least was nice enough to joke about the DRE (that’s the nice way of saying sticking a finger where it should never go, unless it involves 2 consenting adults and a tube of KY jelly...err never mind). The results were pretty much 180 degrees out from the first test. He didn’t think that my prostate felt enlarged, but to be safe, we did the PSA again, the second time for those counting. Well this one came out as expected, 4.5, does this suggest something to anyone but me?
I will get tested every 6 months and I'll keep doing it for a couple of years and I’m sure I won’t worry about it a lot, well at least not a lot before the test. I don’t think I’ll be allowing the doctor to do the DRE without at least the promise of a drink anymore, I do have my standards.
So the long and short of it is, I’m clean as a whistle and the whole experience made me make some major changes in my life, I quit smoking (OK, this has nothing to do with me quitting, I actually smoked a lot more for the 6 months after I had the first test) which as I mentioned before didn’t make me feel better despite what everyone says, I secretly think the people that say “you’ll feel much better after you quit smoking”, have never smoked! I have also started eating better, less red meat more veg....and all that’s done for me is make me more regular! Guess that could be the whole point!
At the risk of sounding morbid, I'll post some of the facts I learned:
- Prostate cancer is one of the most controversial cancers in both diagnosis and treatment
- The most common cancer among Canadian men - it will afflict 1 in 6 men and is a greater threat for those with a family history of the disease
- About 24,600 men this year will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, not including cases that go undiagnosed due to men's unwillingness to go for annual check-ups
- Prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer. For all stages of the cancer the average 5-year survival rate is 98% and the 10-year survival rate is 84%. Remember - Most people die with this cancer and not of it
- Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)- a marker to diagnose prostate cancer was first used in forensic investigation to determine if a stain on the undergarment was due to semen or not
- The disease has no symptoms in its earliest, most curable stage – so if you are 40 years old, get a prostate examination, including a digital rectal exam (DRE) and a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test
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